Nothing But a Dream
by angie1la
Summary: Gaea is defeated and the world is saved, except his world was never real. Percy wakes up and realized he was in a coma the whole time. How will he learn to accept his whole life was only a dream?
1. Chapter 1

**OKAY GUYS I have to tell you this story isn't completely mine. I stole the idea from a headcanon on instagram. it went something like this**

**HEADCANON #_AFTER DEFEATING GAEA AND THE GIANTS, PERCY SUDDENLY WOKE UP AND FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD BEEN IN A COMA SINCE HE WAS 12 AND HIS ENTIRE DEMIGOD EXPERIENCE WAS JUST A DREAM. NONE OF THE GODS WERE REAL, AND WORST OF ALL ANNABETH WASREAL.**

**Sad? Yes. Depressing? Definitely. But I thought of an awesome fanfic so yeah**

* * *

"We've won!"

The victory cry rang through the blood tainted air. Roars of joy and triumph began to erupt from the crowds, Roman and Greek demigods hugging each other and sobbing with relief. A great amount of stress lifted from the atmosphere. Gaea was defeated. They were safe.

"Percy!" two arms wrapped around him and he turned to see his girlfriend smiling and crying. Percy hugged her back and could feel her cheeks dampen his shirt.

"Glad to see you too," he smirked, enjoying the moment. He probably would never be able to feel so happy after a war again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Annabeth said softly. "How 'bout you? That cut looks pretty nasty."

He knew what she was talking about and it took all his will to not look at the wide gash that curled from his back to his stomach. It was stinging horribly but he tried his best to ignore it. Sadly, that wasn't enough.

"It hurts a bit," his voice sounded strained. "Don't worry I just need to sit."

Annabeth knit her eyebrows. He usually didn't admit to pain.

Frank had joined them, morphing from a tiger, along with Hazel, Piper, Jason, and Leo.

Annabeth looked at him with genuine worry. "We'll get you to a hospital, just hold on."

"The _Argos II_ should be here any moment," even Leo sounded concerned.

Percy glanced at his side and was hit with a wave of nausea. The wound was deep, throbbing, and slightly green, blood still dribbling from it. He'd lost a lot of blood and it had seemed to have been infected. His vision was darkening and began to tunnel. He needed help, fast.

"I-" he faltered and took a shallow breath. "I think-."

And he collapsed in Annabeth's arms.

* * *

**Sorry this is super short but it's just the beginning. I'll post the next chapter in 3.. 2...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ugh this took foreverrr sorry**

**And my writing is not very good so don't get your hopes up lolll**

* * *

Percy sat up as fast as he could and frantically looked around. White lights blurred his vision and air seemed to be forced into his lungs. He felt tubes inserted in his nose and needles hanging from his arm, then ripped them out, gasping for breath. The brightness seemed to have died down, and he was able to see where he was.

He was.. in a hospital room, wearing a patient gown. Clean blankets covered his legs and the roomed smelled disinfected.

People were sitting around his bed, staring at him in awe. Percy was about to excuse himself and leave to find his friends when one woman gave squeal of joy and embraced him in a big hug.

"Peter!" she cried. "Peter, you're awake!"

Percy felt a small surge of involuntary annoyance at the women, but managed to hold his tongue. He guessed she must have been confused. He looked over her shoulder and saw a little girl still staring, and a man wearing a white coat, a doctor. The doctor gazed at him like they were extremely surprised to see him awake.

"It's a miracle," the doctor shook his head, "I don't know how the treatment worked so well. There weren't any guarantees it would wake him."

"Then I guess God is on our side," the woman let go of him and held him in front of her. She had kind brown eyes and golden brown hair. She smiled at him so warmly she could've been his mother, but Percy felt no familiarity looking at her.

"Wh- where am I," he stuttered. His face was frozen in a look of confusion and shock. "Who are you?"

"You don't know?" the woman's face went slack. "Peter, it's me. You're mother."

Percy stared at her in disbelief. Who was she to say she was his mother?

Then a small flare of pain pierced his chest. The last time he saw his mother was before Hera had abducted him, months ago.

He shook his head.

"Sonya Johnson?" the women continued to plead, "and you're Peter Johnson, remember?."

Percy wanted to laugh when she said the name, immediately thinking of Mr. D. "No, my name is Percy Jackson, I don't know who you are, and I have to go find my friends."

The woman looked utterly heartbroken.

"Interesting," the doctor muttered. "Amnesia, or psychosis. This has never happened to a patient after a coma."

Percy's heart skipped a beat.

"What coma," he demanded.

"You were in a coma since you were twelve," the little girl finally spoke. She had light blond hair and stormy gray eyes.

_Annabeth?_

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"Annie Bell," she said matter-of-factly. "You're younger sister. But, I can see you don't remember."

"Don't be rude," the women, Sonya, scolded.

Annie shrugged. "He doesn't remember, it's a fact."

Percy nodded slowly. The girl reminded him exactly of Annabeth, right down to the name.

But she had said he was in a coma. A coma ever since he was twelve. That was his entire life as a demigod.

"Um, how long have I been here?" he said.

"Ever since you went into that coma, duh," the girl replied.

Percy sighed impatiently. "How did I _get_ in a coma?"

"The causes are actually unknown," the doctor said. "We have guessed that you were drowning in a swimming pool and the lack of oxygen damaged your brain cells, but that's much too far-fetched."

"I still don't believe Peter magically conked his head on something and fell into a five year coma!" Sonya told the doctor, raising her voice a little.

"Calm down, ma'am, I-"

"I'm not going to calm down! My son was in a coma and doesn't remember a thing! Fix it, doctor!"

"So," Annie tilted her head and stared at Percy while the adults argued. "What _do _you remember?"

Percy tore his eyes away from Sonya and the doctor, not able to believe the woman could act so immaturely.

"I, I know my name is Percy," he mumbled. "Percy Jackson."

"Really," the girl rubbed her chin, "that's a silly name."

"So is Annie Bell," he snorted.

She smiled. "Yup, you're the right Peter."

"So," Sonya huffed. "When can we take Peter home? He has a lot of catching up to do, being in a _coma_ for six years and all."

"He has to stay for at least a weak," the doctor said. "He hasn't eaten anything solid or drunk anything through his mouth, and he's very weak. I doubt he'll be able to walk in a while. He should rest right now."

The doctors words weighed down on him and he realized how tired he was. Percy groaned and flopped back down on the hospital bed, his eyes fluttering closed. He could feel Sonya's worry above, that her son may fall asleep and never wake up again.

"Don't worry," he murmured, before turning to his side and falling into a light sleep.

* * *

Of course, his dreams didn't help.

Even in the strange world he'd entered, slumbering was not restful. But there were no images or visions, only blackness.

And that made it so much worse.

_My life is a lie_, he heard. _Everything I know that's real, the gods, my friends, Annabeth, they're all fake. Nothing but a dream._

The thought hurt so bad. He figured that Annabeth must have been based of off Annie Bell, and-

No. They had to be real. They _were_ real, whether he imagined them or not.

They were. They _had_ to.

* * *

Percy woke up in the bed again, feeling completely unrested. Though the nap cleared his head a little, he figured it was only ten minutes long. The hospital lights pounded on his sore eyes, and the deep drone of machines keeping other patients alive was depressing. He felt like he'd taken another swim in the River Cocytus, sadness overtaking his body.

Riptide wasn't in the hospital gown pocket.

He had none of the dreams he usually had.

And the image of Annabeth was slowly fading in his mind.

It was all a dream. This was his reality now.

* * *

**Um, okay I have a whole bunch I want to apologize about this fanfic but you don't want to hear them**

**Please review**

**Bai!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the reviews! They were all really helpful, even the lame one (you can tell which one just look at the reviews :P).**

**I haven't really thought this story, only a few scenes in the beginning and end, so I might need some help. Could you guys comment any suggestions? All ideas are welcome, thanks!**

**Btw I made up the Tallahassee Aquatics Center but turns out its real**

**Btw this might be a little boring sorry**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The next few days were horrible. But, Percy knew recovery was always the hardest part, even in his dreams.

Percy winced. He still didn't know why he had given up on his demigod life so easily, but laying in bed, staring at the cieling, and just thinking about it was making it harder to believe any of it was real.

Sonya wasn't much help either. She visited him frequently to tell him about his old life, in desperate hope he would eventually remember. Whenever she visited Percy asked for Annie Bell, but she was off at school. So, with no one sensible to talk to, Percy was stuck with is "mother."

He found that he lived in Florida, which was still on the east coast but far from New York. Also, he was told he used to be a great student at his middle school, all the teachers loved him, and his favorite sport was soccer.

"Soccer?" he'd asked, unable to recall any enthusiasm for the sport.

"Yes, soccer," Sonya had sighed a little dreamily, as if remembering all the praise she had received for having such a son.

Percy snorted in disgust.

It was difficult listening to Sonya and trusting what she said was his life. It felt like she was describing another person's story, someone normal and innocent. Even before he was a demigod, in his dreams, he had been kicked out of schools multiple times.

He later learned he even had a girlfriend, though he thought twelve was a too young for stuff like that. But, he had agreed to let her visit. Her name was Kelli, which made him shiver.

"Hey, you're alive!" she had greeted, her arms outstretched for a hug.

Kelli wore a vibrant green dress with gold details, had hair as black as tilled soil, and a smile that would turn cold if you stared at her face for too long. She was so familiar, in a bad way. Percy had nearly fallen off his bed trying to escape her.

Kelli frowned. "What's wrong with him," she muttered to the doctor.

"Some sort of amnesia," Sonya explained. "He doesn't remember any of us."

"Oh," Kelli said, then smiled again. "Well, um, I have to go then, bye!" She blew a kiss towards Percy. "Hope you get better, sweetie!"

He easily could tell she was no longer interested in him, seeing that she left as soon as she found out he was useless from his memory loss. But Percy still couldn't believe her resemblance to Gaea from his dreams. Maybe he never really liked her. But if so, why would they have been boyfriend/girlfriend?

Now, he laid in the same bed, almost asleep. He realized he was muttering Annabeth's name when a person walked in with Sonya besides him. The man that had came was stocky and dressed a little like a coach, sort of like a physical trainer.

He was right.

"Peter Johnson," the man put his hand out, which Percy weakly shook, "I'm Coach Parker, and I'm glad to tell you the doctor thinks you're ready for physical training to get you back on your feet."

"Cool," Percy said, the wheels in his brain slowly starting to spin. "Um, what kind of training, Mr. Parker?"

"Well, since you haven't walked in forever I think we can start with pool training, because the buoyance makes it easier to practice in," he replied. "Then at least you'll have enough strength to walk."

"A pool?"

"Yes."

Percy was excited. Maybe water would prove his demigod life was real. He always could breath underwater, so this would be the ultimate test.

"When do we start?" he asked eagerly.

Parker looked mildly surprised. "I guess we could start now if you want. I'll have a schedule for you by tomorrow, so today could just be a little tester for the lessons."

Percy nodded. Sonya clapped her hands a from excitement and brought over a wheel chair. With help from Coach Parker, she helped Percy get out of bed and into the chair, though she could've done it herself. He was so skinny even Annie Bell could've picked him up, which was a bit of an overstatement. But, he got a glimpse of himself in the large mirrors as they left the room, and was shocked to see he looked exactly the way he remembered, just thinner.

If he based Gaea off of his girlfriend, he expected to make himself look different in his dreams too.

Coach Parker stopped by the counter at the front of the building to check out a patient, which seemed to take forever in Percy's opinion. Sonya was too busy taking pictures for some sort of scrapbook to care.

Finally they departed from the hospital and boarded on a silver mini van.

"You won't have this first class ride like this next time," Coach Parker joked half-heatedly, "so you might as well enjoy it."

Percy smiled then looked out the window. People bustled around the clean streets on the bright day, which every day must've been like in Florida. He kept an eye out for anything unusual to happen, like a peaceful monster lurking in the shade of a tree, kids his age walking around with bronze armor, or a person he felt drawn to, which was usually the sign of a hidden god. But, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, which discouraged him even more, if possible.

"We're here!" Sonya sang, which annoyed Percy for some reason.

Coach Parker pulled out the wheel chair and helped Percy onto it. He wanted to wheel the chair himself, but his arms were skinny sticks. Percy wondered if he could take up swords fighting again.

He saw a large building that was only a story tall, nothing compared to the Empire State Building, but very wide. It read "TALLAHASSE AQUATICS CENTER" in bold blue letters. The entered, and Percy was hit with the strong smell of chlorine.

"You can go change in the locker rooms," Parker said, "and if you need any help-"

"I think I'll be fine," Percy interrupted. He didn't want any strangers helping him change.

The man nodded and led him to the rooms and helped him onto a bench. As soon as he left, Percy pulled off the hospital gown and managed to put on the body swim suit with some difficulty. It was hard to control the movement of his weak legs. Then, he stubbornly decided to wheel himself out to the pools, which was probably a bad idea.

"Done," he panted breathlessly.

Coach Parker rushed over and took over the wheelchair, guiding him to a small pool at the edge of the wide room.

"You could've asked for help," he chuckled.

"I know."

Parker started by explaining some rules, though Percy only paid attention to a few of them. The water looked so inviting he was tempted to just jump in.

"Well since you clearly can't sit still, we should start," Coach Parker laughed. "By the way, in this building you have to call me Coach."

Percy chuckled, immediately reminded of Coach Hedge, and saluted, "Sure, Coach."

Once in the water, with a metal bar to support him, Percy felt the only connection to his demigod life. As Coach demonstrated a few exercises from the ledge of the pool, Percy felt a flare of hope in his chest. The water felt good, almost like in his dreams.

He waited for the perfect moment for the final test. He kept a careful eye on the coach until finally, he saw him turn his head slightly to grab a floating tool. Percy held his breath and dived underwater.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked around. The bottom of the pool was washed in a green-blue light. It felt so serene and peaceful, he realized his shoulders were still tense from holding his mouth shut.

He let all the air out of his lungs. Then, the moment of truth, he took a breath.

Water rushed down his throat and windpipe, stifling his breath and choking his chest. His vision tunneled with panic, and he began to gag as a reflex. But, it only sucked in more water.

Percy completely realized what it was like to drown. It was nothing like the muskeg in Alaska. The spongy soil felt like liquid, but air managed to seep through the cracks and crevices in the dirt. Water doesn't allow that. It sealed over anything that entered it and made a solid boundary between it and everything else. He was drowning.

Suddenly a hand grabbed him by the back of his wetsuit and yanked him up. He sprawled across the tiled floor at the edge of the pool and turned to his side. He vomited water, the one substance he knew as his savior, his healing factor.

Percy could see Coach Parker patting his back, a concerned and disbelieving look on his face. He felt slightly ashamed, but a horrible feeling of dread.

He held back a sob as he lay on the cold hard floor.

* * *

**I should just stop ending these chapters so depressingly but I can't ugh do you see my problem**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! Reviews! I'm really sorry it takes forever for me to update but glad you guys take the time to tell me what you think about my fanfic because I put a lot of effort to make the story good. I know I'm not the best writer but I hope you understand what I try my best and-**

**What? You want me to shut up and continue the story?**

**Me too**

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Coach Parker demanded.

Percy opened his eyes and realized he was still on the ground. He must have momentarily lost consciousness from the straining agony in his lungs. Then, it hit him again.

He had been drowning.

"I-" he couldn't think of a good excuse, which was usually one of his strengths. So, he decided to go with the truth since it was all he had.

"I thought I could breath underwater."

The coach's furrowed eyebrows relaxed and his eyes looked less angry. "Now, why would you think that."

Percy paused completely. How could he explain? He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes glistening slightly.

"I had a dream," his simply said, "while I was in a coma."

A "dream." He said it dismissively as if it were just funny images that played in his head when he closed his eyes. It was much more than a dream, but he couldn't afford to let people think he was crazy.

"I see."

Coach's strong hand left from under his neck as the man stood. He helped Percy up and supported him easily with one hand.

"We can stay away from water for a little while," he said. "Class dismissed."

Percy nodded gratefully. As Coach helped him walk back to the locker rooms, he couldn't help but recall the feeling he felt when he was drowning.

He had always felt free underwater, able to do whatever he could. Water was always good for him and there was no limit to how much it helped. Water had healed him, revived him, and, most importantly, made him feel safe. Even if a sea monster attacked him, he could easily defeat it with the help of water. Water was his domain. Water was good.

But, every good thing has its limits. Even in his dream, he had began to feel the affects of too much water. He could imagine his skin becoming wrinkled from the waves washing away his natural oils. He could imagine what would happen to a dead body in saltwater: slowly soaking the salts and decomposing in its damp environment, ending up puffy and rotten. Water was known for being pure, but it couldn't stay clean forever.

Percy shook his head. He may not love water the way he did before, but he didn't need to ruin it for him. He mumbled thanks to Coach Parker and sat on the blue bench in the locker room. He chuckled at the color.

_Now I'm going crazy_, he thought, _next thing I know I'll be talking to the wall._

He waited until Coach left, then turned back and sighed, peeling off the swimsuit. He had put it on only ten minutes ago but it felt like an eternity. His time in the water lasted forever.

Percy's dripping hair hung over his eyes as he dried off and found his hospital gown. He stared at it distastefully. He didn't like the simple piece of fabric because it made him feel so limited in, well, everything. He could hardly move without revealing his boxers underneath, and people looked down upon him with a look of pity when he wore it, which was pretty much all the time.

Then he spotted a pile of neatly folded clothes at the far edge of the bench. There weren't any other people in the locker rooms, because the aquatics center was closed with him as an exception, so it must have been left for him. The shirt on top was bright orange, so familiar that it hurt to look at. Percy scooted towards it and eagerly unfolded the shirt. His excitement fell. It was blank.

Nevertheless, he put it on, glad to see the bright color on his chest, and the khaki shorts. He felt almost normal, except his hair was still damp and he was suddenly starving. His hunger was usual in his dream, except his stomach was unhealthily caved in, but what was most different was that his hair was wet.

Usually he was always dry after stepping out of water. After a shower he dried quickly. Even this one time Clarisse had "accidently" spilled an entire bucket of water on his head. Most of the water missed him, and the few droplets that did didn't stay long. It's almost like the water was scared of him.

Percy laughed out loud.

"Honey, are you done?" Sonya's voice echoed from the empty walls.

He stared at the entrance, feeling suddenly deflated. He didn't like Sonya to be honest.

"Yeah."

She stepped inside, pushing the wheel chair in front of her, looking disappointed. She sat beside him on the bench and sighed, staring at the floor. She seemed to be waiting for him to ask what was wrong.

Percy snorted and slowly shifted onto the chair. He struggled as Sonya continued to stare on the tiles on the floor. When he was comfortable, he awkwardly waited until the women would stand up, but she remained still. He coughed loudly.

"Um, are we gonna go?"

She her head snapped up and she look surprised, as if she was awaked from deep thought.

_Deep thought on the next outfit she's gonna wear_, Percy groused in his mind.

"Sorry, just got a lot to think about," she apologized, not sounding apologetic. "I'm just so-"

_Snobby?_

"-tired after what's been happening. Especially with you-"

_Almost drowning?_

"-draining my bank account. Hospital bills aren't little things you know-"

_YOU DON'T SAY?_

"-anyway, I-"

_Chipped a nail! Oh gods no! The world is gonna end!_

"-should get back home and rest. Let's get you back to the hospital."

"Okay," Percy chuckled.

* * *

Entertaining yourself was nearly impossible in a hospital.

Normal kids would bring along their phones and tweet pictures on Instagram, or whatever, but Percy had absolutely no experience with handheld devices. So, he found other ways to keep himself from boredom.

His tactics usually involved finishing sentences for others in his head. One conversation he was particularly fond of was when the doctor was lecturing him.

"We've scanned you're brains," the doctor began, "and found-"

_Pure awesomeness._

"-no traces of anything life-threatening or-"

_Purple._

"-harmful in general. This weekend we will-"

_Eat muffins_.

"-allow you to go-"

_Play with fairies._

"-home. The following week, we believe-"

_Poseidon is the best_.

"-you will be healthy enough to attend school. Although-"

_Your awesomeness exceeds standard levels._

"-your first lesson with Mr. Parker was not the best-"

_Banana._

"-we will continue the classes until you achieve-"

_Nirvana._

"-the standard health level. For now, it's dinner time."

Percy stopped playing Nirvana songs in his head and looked at the doctor.

"Okay," he said.

A nurse placed a tray with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some strawberries on his lap and left with the doctor. She appeared again and spoke to him.

"You have a visitor," she said. "Is it okay if she comes in?"

"Sure," Percy blew on his spoonful of broth.

The nurse nodded and left. Annie Bell soon walked in.

"Hey _Pur_cy," she snickered, sitting at the edge of his bed.

Percy scowled at her. "When did you get so annoying?"

"Ever since you woke up, I guess," she shrugged. "Everything's been driving me crazy. Mom started sending me to therapy classes and people are always saying _'Oh, you poor baby._'"

"Why's that?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess it's because of you. You've were gone then you suddenly came back. To be honest, I hardly know you anymore. You've been gone for _five years_. That's a lot."

Percy stared at her, hurt by her honest words, and felt guilt rise in his chest.

He knew he was never a great sibling. Tyson and the other six he went on his quests were family, and he tried his best as an older brother, but looking at Annie Bell's sad face, he knew his best wasn't enough.

She looked up, putting a mask over her sorrow. He admired how strong the little girl was.

"It's not your fault," she said. "I-"

"Annie! Time to go."

Annie Bell looked behind her and saw their mother waiting impatiently. She glanced back at Percy, then followed her mother out of the hospital room.

He sat there, his eyes fixed at the spot where he saw her leave. He felt a surge of homesickness strike his heart.

Percy closed his eyes and could hear Annie Bell speak in his mind.

_I still love you_.

She sounded so much like Annabeth.


End file.
